Now onto the review!
Today I will be reviewing the Konjiki no Gash Bell! Gash Bell and Takamine Kiyomaru GEM figure by MegaHouse: item/464680
This series is also known as Zatch Bell in the United States and Gash has his name changed to "Zatch", these will be the names I'm going to use as they're more familiar to me and thus easier to remember. So I do apologize if that makes anyone upset. Now then...this figure was a surprise for me when I heard the announcement and was an instant preorder when they opened up! Zatch Bell was one of the few anime I watched back in middle school and it was one I always got upset about if I happened to miss an episode. So needless to say this figure does have a soft spot in my heart and I can't wait for Sherry and Brago ( item/520728 ) to be revealed. ♥
I know that the GEM series is usually hit or miss with a lot of people and they either do really bad or really good in the after market. In short, the GEM series is a "buy at your own risk" deal. With that being said, I'll move on to the actual scoring on this figure.
PACKAGING - 7/10
Now before I get to the box, this would've gotten a higher score from me but for some reason mine did not have a seal on it. I thought that was really strange. If you own this figure, did yours have a seal on it?
For me personally, packaging is not an impacting factor for me. For instance Yato ( item/198458 ) has probably the most boring box in the world, but it does the job of showing off the figures profile and protects it.
For this figure I was surprised to see a white front, considering the nature of Zatch's book and power I was expecting it to be red with lightening on it. But in the end I do think the box flows nicely with the figure's happy and carefree air. The white brought a nice balance to it and I do like that they have the books symbol on the box.
And here's the back, showing off more of the carefree feel Takamine and Zatch both have. It shows both of them off well and even has the old aesthetic of anime opening with their profiles in the upper right hand corner.
This is on the right side, very simple. Not much to note.
And the left side, again, not much to note here. I don't understand the point of the window but in a way I also wish it was in the shape of a lightening bolt since that is Zatch's ability.
Something I thought was cute was this little image of Vulcan 300 on the bottom!
Overall, the box is sturdy and provides plenty of protection for the figure. This might be weird to say, but I do prefer this style of box over the all plastic ones that Alter is notorious for (example; Leonardo Watch item/330929 ) simply because they offer more protection and they're more durable. While I do think that seeing the figure when you open your shipping box is nice, it could also provide quick disappointment if its damaged.
Now for the inside packaging
First up is the backdrop of the box. This is a very simple red backdrop with the symbol for Zatch's book in the center. Taped to it is your very own journal! The journal is nothing special, it's just a normal sketch book. I kinda wish it had the spells or something inside, but its nothing. Here are some images in the spoiler below if you're interested.
Oh no! A small scrape in the back!
And here they are in the blister! Nice and safe! ♥
Base - 5/10
Now for something I saw a lot of torn comments on-the bases for Kiyomaru and Zatch! This score might seem harsh, but I do have my own reasoning for it.
I do have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of these after seeing them in person. I like the design on them! But I dislike those large chunks of plastic on them for the pegs. I also dislike that they're separate bases and not one. I would've like to have Zatch closer to Kiyo. I also feel that, even though Zatch is small, its a space waster to have them on two bases instead of one.
I feel that bases are a large part of my enjoyment for the figures I buy, if the base isn't great or if its too flashy for the figure then I find it hard to stay attached to the figure I buy. So really it's a shame that they're usually the last thing to be announced and almost always announced just before the release of the figure.
So overall, cool design and perfect color choice (obviously), bad choice for the plastic chunks and the fact they're separate.
Posing & Sculpt - 7/10
You might be wondering why I combined these categories. I explain it more below but I feel that in this case, both categories can be evaluated here.
The posing for these two is rather simple, keeping with the theme of the show (or at least, the first part). Kiyo is having a nice walk while Zatch gleefully follows him (or maybe he's leading the way!).
Considering that Kiyo is holding the book instead of carrying it in his school bag, maybe they're off to train somewhere?
And here's Zatch running along with Vulcan 300 in his hand and a huge smile on his face.
Now I don't know why you can do this, but for Kiyo (and Zatch) you can turn their heads around. It's weird, but you can do it. Just be careful that you don't pop them off.
Overall I don't have much to say about their poses, especially Kiyo's pose. For me it seems that even though they're moving, they're also very static looking. And no, I don't mean that because they're scales with no posing capability aside from their heads, I mean that they both seem like they're standing still instead of walking (or running) along. So on on hand I feel if they had been sculpted that way (them standing still) it wouldn't have made much difference. On the other hand, I will give say that even though the posing does look weird the basic sculpt is done very well and I don't see any major flaws.
Painting - 8
Here's where I can get picky on. I'm always worried about painting errors or flaws. And sometimes they can make or break the figure for me once I have it in my possession. In this case, I would say the painting is very well done. I do like the shading on Kiyo's clothes and I feel that they did an excellent job with his face and with the book. I noticed that the book has yellowing on the pages, which you would expect from an old book.
Zatch does have a seem showing on his head, but from far away you really can't notice it. His face and clothes are also very well done.
Now what causes the score to be an eight rather than a nine (aside from the seam on Zatch's head) is that when I was attaching Zatch to the base I noticed something a little off putting.
Now I seem to recall Zatch wearing boxers in the anime, its hard not to recall that since he always threw his cloak off every chance he got to catch a yellow tail fish in the river. Why MegaHouse didn't even bother giving him underwear I don't know. In some angles you can clearly see he has nothing on.
But I did notice they gave him what I hope is his belly button.
I just don't know. That completely baffled me.
Otherwise, I like the paint job on both of them.
Enjoyment - 8.5/10
Honestly, I wanted to give this figure a 10/10 but the no underwear thing and the bases are making me lower the score a bit. I still enjoy this figure quite a bit though! As I stated in the beginning this figure does have a soft spot in my heart because its something I saw in my early "weeb" stage of life. ♥
I also think the size is good, I would say that Kiyo is about the size of Meiko ( item/394594 ) which is a 1/8 scale. Zatch keeps the heigh difference accurate and I would say he's about the size of a nendoroid (give or take).
[Overall, I think the price for this figure is decent. I think that they're priced just right for what you get.
Thank you all for reading my first review! I hope you guys enjoyed it. If you ave any feedback or helpful comments please feel free to leave them so I can learn for whichever figure I decide to review next!
Much love and good vibes. ♥
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